{"video_id":"vrlHTJdJ9OM","title":"The Psychology of Fonts","channel":"Techquickie","show":"Techquickie","published_at":"2017-05-06T14:58:16Z","duration_s":362,"segments":[{"start_s":0.24,"end_s":6.16,"text":"There's no shortage of sites and companies that try to draw you in with","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":4.08,"end_s":10.639,"text":"slickl looking graphics and marketing. Think of the casinos on the Las Vegas","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":8.16,"end_s":16.32,"text":"strip or Google's much discussed recent logo change or even the sign we put in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":13.84,"end_s":20.56,"text":"our front lobby to try to make it look like we're a real company to some","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":18.24,"end_s":25.6,"text":"degree. And the reasons for this go beyond the speculative research has","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":23.039,"end_s":30.88,"text":"indicated that fonts can actually affect our physical perceptions. One experiment","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":28.56,"end_s":35.92,"text":"involved serving identical jelly beans to two different groups labeled with the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":33.04,"end_s":40.48,"text":"words eat me. However, eat me was printed in a rounded font for one group","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":38.079,"end_s":45.36,"text":"and a jagged font for the other group. And it turned out that the people in the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":42.559,"end_s":51.2,"text":"jagged font group perceived the jelly beans as quite a bit more sour than the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":48.559,"end_s":55.68,"text":"other group due to the subconscious suggestion from the way the words were","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":54.0,"end_s":60.559,"text":"written. So, the reason that organizations all don't just use one","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":58.16,"end_s":65.439,"text":"plain readable font for everything like Helvetica or Ariel is because different","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":62.879,"end_s":70.159,"text":"fonts have a real power to make us feel certain ways and conjure up emotions","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":67.6,"end_s":75.28,"text":"that might make us more likely to spend our money if we're at a store or to feel","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":72.72,"end_s":80.64,"text":"a bit calmer if we're at the dentist or something. But how can mere letters on a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":78.24,"end_s":84.64,"text":"page or a sign kick us right in the fields? A lot of this has to do with","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":82.64,"end_s":89.92,"text":"perceptions of fonts that we develop over the years through a process called","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":87.119,"end_s":95.28,"text":"psychological priming, similar to how people form stereotypes and first","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":92.479,"end_s":100.479,"text":"impressions. For example, sand serif fonts have become much more common in","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":97.92,"end_s":104.96,"text":"modern life due to their widespread use on computer screens. A sans serif font,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":103.439,"end_s":108.72,"text":"by the way, is anything that doesn't have seraps, which are those little","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":106.72,"end_s":113.92,"text":"lines at the edges of letters that make them easier to read on a printed page.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":111.759,"end_s":119.2,"text":"But since monitors were actually lower resolution in terms of dots per inch","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":116.0,"end_s":121.04,"text":"than books or magazines for a long time,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":119.2,"end_s":126.399,"text":"many websites and computer graphic designers used sand serif fonts as it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":124.159,"end_s":132.0,"text":"was thought seraps would actually make text on lowres screens harder to read.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":129.599,"end_s":137.599,"text":"Nowadays, with high-res HD displays, this was less of an issue. But Sanser's","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":134.8,"end_s":141.84,"text":"perception as modern and clean persisted, leading to it becoming a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":139.84,"end_s":146.959,"text":"popular font style for startups and online businesses that want to appear","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":144.319,"end_s":151.599,"text":"current and forwardthinking. Sanser's simplicity has also made it a go-to for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":149.36,"end_s":156.56,"text":"places that want to appear stable and professional. In fact, many people","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":153.68,"end_s":161.519,"text":"associate the sans serif font Helvetica with the IRS in the states since they","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":158.8,"end_s":166.48,"text":"use it heavily on their tax forms. Of course, on the flip side, its minimalism","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":163.519,"end_s":171.68,"text":"and popularity as a modern font back in the 1960s might explain why hipsters","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":169.519,"end_s":176.239,"text":"have taken to it so much. And speaking of hipsters, many fonts have fallen out","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":173.84,"end_s":181.599,"text":"of favor due to their overuse in certain applications. Comic Sands, for instance,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":178.879,"end_s":187.12,"text":"was originally supposed to be just a fun font reminiscent of old comic books.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":184.56,"end_s":192.56,"text":"Now, it draws tons of eye due to its association with tacky flyers for child-","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":190.4,"end_s":197.519,"text":"ccentric activities. Impact doesn't quite annoy people the way comic sands","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":194.879,"end_s":202.319,"text":"does, but with advice animal memes being as prevalent as they are, many places","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":199.599,"end_s":207.68,"text":"have started to shy away from using it due to the strong association with Bad","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":204.56,"end_s":210.159,"text":"Luck Brian and Insanity Wolf, which can","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":207.68,"end_s":214.159,"text":"make things seem less trustworthy. And while super tacky fonts like Papyrus","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":212.48,"end_s":219.68,"text":"don't usually have a lot of staying power due to things like restaurants","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":216.64,"end_s":223.36,"text":"massively overusing it, they can still","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":219.68,"end_s":226.64,"text":"be effective for building a cohesive","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":223.36,"end_s":228.959,"text":"brand identity. A commonly cited example","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":226.64,"end_s":234.72,"text":"for this is the famous Disney logo, which people recognize immediately","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":231.76,"end_s":239.04,"text":"despite the D and the Y not really looking how they're supposed to.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":236.959,"end_s":244.4,"text":"Harderto- read fonts are even intentionally used by some restaurants","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":241.68,"end_s":250.08,"text":"and stores to suggest that something on sale is higher quality, and it took a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":247.84,"end_s":254.159,"text":"lot of effort to make. And as marketing strategies and tastes continue to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":251.92,"end_s":259.199,"text":"evolve, what kind of fonts strike us as fresh, trit, or even offensive are sure","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":257.199,"end_s":262.639,"text":"to change as well. But if that's too much to keep up with, you can always","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":260.72,"end_s":266.72,"text":"play it safe and use the affforementioned Helvetica, which was","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":264.56,"end_s":272.56,"text":"named after the Latin name for Switzerland because, well, you guessed","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":269.84,"end_s":277.36,"text":"it, it's neutrality. So, just like Switzerland, it stayed out of wars.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":274.88,"end_s":282.32,"text":"Maybe using Helvetica can help you avoid conflict as well, unless someone who","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":279.759,"end_s":286.4,"text":"reads it had a traumatic experience with a bar of toolbar. With the linda.com","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":284.72,"end_s":291.04,"text":"membership, you can watch and learn from top experts who are passionate about","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":288.479,"end_s":295.36,"text":"teaching their subject. You can stream thousands of video courses on demand and","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":293.199,"end_s":298.32,"text":"learn on your own schedule at your own pace. I'm currently going through a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":297.12,"end_s":303.04,"text":"photography course. It's going to take me forever, but that's fine. Browse each","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":300.56,"end_s":306.88,"text":"course transcript to follow along or skip to the answer or skip to a part of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":305.199,"end_s":310.4,"text":"video that you need to see again by looking at the text. It's a pretty sweet","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":308.479,"end_s":314.4,"text":"feature. Take notes as you go along or download tutorials to watch them on the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":312.32,"end_s":317.919,"text":"go, including access on your iOS and Android device. Create and save","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":316.08,"end_s":321.68,"text":"playlists or courses that you want to learn along with your friends,","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":319.44,"end_s":325.28,"text":"colleagues, or even team members. All of that for a flat rate starting at just","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":323.44,"end_s":329.68,"text":"$25 a month. So whether you're looking to become an industry expert or just","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":327.919,"end_s":333.039,"text":"passionate about a hobby or just frankly want to learn something new, check out","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":331.28,"end_s":336.32,"text":"linda.com/techwiki and sign up for your free 10-day trial","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":334.72,"end_s":340.96,"text":"today. Thanks for watching, guys. If you liked it, like it. And maybe there's a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":338.4,"end_s":345.12,"text":"font for the like symbol. I don't know. If you disliked it and you love Comic","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":343.199,"end_s":348.08,"text":"Sands, feel free to do that as well. Get subscribed so you can see the future of","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":346.639,"end_s":351.919,"text":"all of our videos. And if you want to direct that future in some way, suggest","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":350.0,"end_s":355.68,"text":"a video for us down below. I'd love some suggestions for like the brain science","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":354.16,"end_s":360.24,"text":"psychology side of things. I'm having a lot of fun with these videos. Also, check out Channel Super Fun. They have a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":358.8,"end_s":363.52,"text":"fun font. Pretty sure it's not comic sands, though, so you're safe.","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"There's no shortage of sites and companies that try to draw you in with slickl looking graphics and marketing. Think of the casinos on the Las Vegas strip or Google's much discussed recent logo change or even the sign we put in our front lobby to try to make it look like we're a real company to some degree. And the reasons for this go beyond the speculative research has indicated that fonts can actually affect our physical perceptions. One experiment involved serving identical jelly beans to two different groups labeled with the words eat me. However, eat me was printed in a rounded font for one group and a jagged font for the other group. And it turned out that the people in the jagged font group perceived the jelly beans as quite a bit more sour than the other group due to the subconscious suggestion from the way the words were written. So, the reason that organizations all don't just use one plain readable font for everything like Helvetica or Ariel is because different fonts have a real power to make us feel certain ways and conjure up emotions that might make us more likely to spend our money if we're at a store or to feel a bit calmer if we're at the dentist or something. But how can mere letters on a page or a sign kick us right in the fields? A lot of this has to do with perceptions of fonts that we develop over the years through a process called psychological priming, similar to how people form stereotypes and first impressions. For example, sand serif fonts have become much more common in modern life due to their widespread use on computer screens. A sans serif font, by the way, is anything that doesn't have seraps, which are those little lines at the edges of letters that make them easier to read on a printed page. But since monitors were actually lower resolution in terms of dots per inch than books or magazines for a long time, many websites and computer graphic designers used sand serif fonts as it was thought seraps would actually make text on lowres screens harder to read. Nowadays, with high-res HD displays, this was less of an issue. But Sanser's perception as modern and clean persisted, leading to it becoming a popular font style for startups and online businesses that want to appear current and forwardthinking. Sanser's simplicity has also made it a go-to for places that want to appear stable and professional. In fact, many people associate the sans serif font Helvetica with the IRS in the states since they use it heavily on their tax forms. Of course, on the flip side, its minimalism and popularity as a modern font back in the 1960s might explain why hipsters have taken to it so much. And speaking of hipsters, many fonts have fallen out of favor due to their overuse in certain applications. Comic Sands, for instance, was originally supposed to be just a fun font reminiscent of old comic books. Now, it draws tons of eye due to its association with tacky flyers for child- ccentric activities. Impact doesn't quite annoy people the way comic sands does, but with advice animal memes being as prevalent as they are, many places have started to shy away from using it due to the strong association with Bad Luck Brian and Insanity Wolf, which can make things seem less trustworthy. And while super tacky fonts like Papyrus don't usually have a lot of staying power due to things like restaurants massively overusing it, they can still be effective for building a cohesive brand identity. A commonly cited example for this is the famous Disney logo, which people recognize immediately despite the D and the Y not really looking how they're supposed to. Harderto- read fonts are even intentionally used by some restaurants and stores to suggest that something on sale is higher quality, and it took a lot of effort to make. And as marketing strategies and tastes continue to evolve, what kind of fonts strike us as fresh, trit, or even offensive are sure to change as well. But if that's too much to keep up with, you can always play it safe and use the affforementioned Helvetica, which was named after the Latin name for Switzerland because, well, you guessed it, it's neutrality. So, just like Switzerland, it stayed out of wars. Maybe using Helvetica can help you avoid conflict as well, unless someone who reads it had a traumatic experience with a bar of toolbar. With the linda.com membership, you can watch and learn from top experts who are passionate about teaching their subject. You can stream thousands of video courses on demand and learn on your own schedule at your own pace. I'm currently going through a photography course. It's going to take me forever, but that's fine. Browse each course transcript to follow along or skip to the answer or skip to a part of video that you need to see again by looking at the text. It's a pretty sweet feature. Take notes as you go along or download tutorials to watch them on the go, including access on your iOS and Android device. Create and save playlists or courses that you want to learn along with your friends, colleagues, or even team members. All of that for a flat rate starting at just $25 a month. So whether you're looking to become an industry expert or just passionate about a hobby or just frankly want to learn something new, check out linda.com/techwiki and sign up for your free 10-day trial today. Thanks for watching, guys. If you liked it, like it. And maybe there's a font for the like symbol. I don't know. If you disliked it and you love Comic Sands, feel free to do that as well. Get subscribed so you can see the future of all of our videos. And if you want to direct that future in some way, suggest a video for us down below. I'd love some suggestions for like the brain science psychology side of things. I'm having a lot of fun with these videos. Also, check out Channel Super Fun. They have a fun font. Pretty sure it's not comic sands, though, so you're safe."}